I’ve been a loyal Firefox user because of its privacy-centric approach and extension support, but the current state of Firefox on Android is becoming increasingly frustrating due to some 'over-smart' behaviors that hinder basic usability. I’ve compared these behaviors with Chrome, and unfortunately, Firefox is lagging behind in user-friendliness. Here are the specific issues I am facing:
1. Redundant Double-Tapping on Redirects: When using a router-level Safe DNS (like CleanBrowsing), Google Search results use a redirect link (google.com/search?safe=active). Firefox identifies this as 'link decoration' or a tracker and blocks the first tap, forcing me to tap the exact same link a second time to actually open it. Chrome handles this smoothly in a single click.
2. Inefficient Tab Management: Firefox often opens new tabs for internal site navigation where it shouldn't. For example, while browsing GitHub, moving from a repo to a profile or releases page often triggers a new tab instead of staying in the same one. This leads to massive tab clutter.
3. Inaccurate Shortcut Algorithm: Even with 'Sponsored' and 'Recently Visited' toggled off, Firefox automatically pins random deep-links (like specific Facebook notification URLs or GitHub release pages) to my Shortcuts on the homepage. It should prioritize the root domain or only pin sites I manually choose.
4. Home Button Behavior: Tapping the 'Home' icon should ideally return my 'current' tab to the homepage. Instead, it forces a completely new tab, leaving the previous one open in the background. This is counter-intuitive and adds to the tab management mess.
Firefox is a great browser, but these UI/UX bugs make it feel clunky compared to the competition. Please focus on making the navigation more seamless and 'less intrusive'.
Looking forward to seeing these improvements in future updates.
